Nothing comes close to enjoying the perfect cup of coffee in the morning, you probably have your own favorite, whether you get a grande skimmed latte from Starbucks or a tall Cuppucino from Greco or perhaps you’re always in a hurry and you get your double espresso from on the run, or even you are the kind of person who orders in Americao from Costa Coffee in the afternoon.
No matter which coffee person you are, it comes with a cost. Your perfect cup of coffee costs on average 20 LE, that’s over 400 LE a month if you order a coffee everyday, and 800 LE if you order two. Is there a way you would still enjoy a coffee with the same or near quality to your favorite cup and pay fractions of what you usually pay? Absolutely, if you have an espresso machine with foam capabilities, with some practice and many trials you can become an ok barista. The first step to become one is choosing the right kind of espresso ground coffee.
Here is the top picks of ground coffee you can find in Egyptian supermarkets / coffee shops:
NUMBER (1): Greco – French Roast – Perfection
Greco imports the best quality coffee beans from all over the world, and he sells the beans as well, if you are a hardcore espresso drinker and love strong coffee then you will definitely like their french roast. Although not the same blend they use to make their own coffee, it is the closest one. 225 gm costs 70 LE and is probably enough to cover your espresso carving for a couple of weeks.
Learn more about Cafe Greco and see the map here
Here is also one of the reviews that you can find on Dalili.com.eg that tells you more about Greco:
I love coffee, really, really good coffee, this is why, while I’m in Cairo, my day starts at Cafe Greco.
The coffee there is so good it will make you forget the lack of parking spaces on 9th Street and the high decibel of the noise once you get inside. The beans they use are brought in from the major coffee-growing countries of the world then roasted to bring out their distinctive flavour; from mellow, to medium, to knock you out of your sandals strong.
Once you have made your choice the friendly and knowledgeable staff will whip up your favourite concoction, whether it is a latte, an espresso, a cappuccino, an Americano or whatever.
NUMBER (2): DAVIDOFF – Espresso 57 – The premium choice
Davidoff are not just well known for their perfumes and cigarettes, they also make amazing coffee. Davioff is definitely the premium ground coffee and one of the best quality coffee you can buy from a local supermarket. Espresso 57 is my favorite, note sure what the number means but it has a smooth flavor and a nice aroma. It is packed under pressure, so when you open it the coffee small spreads all over the place. My wife swears that she smelled the coffee coming up the stairs until she came to my office after i unpacked it. Surprisingly, you can buy Davidoff coffee 250 gm for only 50 LE.
Davidoff – Espresso 57
NUMBER (3): ILLY Medium Roast – All About Aroma
That is the very standard espresso that you would get in most places like coffee shops or restaurants. With ILLY you can never go wrong, the coffee is always rich, smooth and has a very special delicious aroma. One shot is not enough, you would always carve for double espresso shots. I would actually recommend this coffee to everyone, for me it is the “standard” coffee, how coffee should feel and taste. Ever heard someone saying that On The Run makes better coffee than Costa? don’t be surprise, this is because they use ILLY coffee. 125 gm costs 40 LE, 250 gm costs 80 LE. Pretty expensive but it also have the best packaging.
ILLY Espresso reds – Medium Roast
NUMBER (4): ILLY Dark Roast – Just about the same but stronger
If you like ILLY but you want stronger coffee, just for for ILLY black, not my thing though. I prefer strong coffee but ILLY dark roast does not have the same delicious aroma of ILLY medium roast. Not even close. 125 gm costs 40 LE, 250 gm costs 80 LE.
ILLY Black – Dark Roast
NUMBER (5): Segafredo – OK Coffee
You probably noticed that there are no more Segafredo branches in Egypt. They have out of business in the local market. One of the reasons is that they don’t make good coffee. If they can’t get it right in their cafes you can never get it right with your espresso machine at home. Generally, the coffee is OK, not bad. However, it is not available in the market anymore, just like the coffee shop itself.
Segafredo Espresso
NUMBER (6): Lavazza – Bad Coffee
Ever went to a nice looking coffee shop and order a late or an espresso and the coffee looked good but tasted like shit? This is probably due to the fact that they used Lavazza coffee. If you see their logo in a cafe, they i would definitely recommend that you order tea, forget about coffee. The name sounds good, and the brand looks OK but the coffee is really bad, no taste, no aroma, weak smell. I do not recommend this coffee to anyone. Price is the cheapest as well, around 40 LE for 250 gm. They say it is suitable for all coffee makers, so you can used it as Espresso, or as filtered coffee, all in one! This doesn’t sound right. Does it?
Lavazza Espresso
Mohamed Salah: Product Management, Entrepreneurship, Digital Marketing, & Local Search 
Very nice and i agree with the choice
I like your words so much !
illy is my favorite 🙂
Thanks Mahmoud
illy is indeed fantastic delicious coffee.
where can I find Davidoff café rich aroma coffee ( single servings ) ???? msh la2y 5ales
Ahmed, Did you try Saudi Market?
I don’t agree with any of your choices,
– Segafredo ok Coffee!! segafredo is one of the worst coffees i have ever tried.
Ill make sure to try Davidoff as i never tried it.
– Lavazza Bad!!!!!! well i agree they have too many blends some are really cheap and quite convenient compered to what your paying, others are really good, like Qualita ORO and club. (for home consumption)
for coffee shops in Egypt you can go try Paul Bakery coffee as they use a special beans blend for coffee shops, which from my point of view is one of the best (really balanced and aromatic)
– Illy is good coffee only if you drink espressos, as aroma disappears if you add some milk.
– I have heard a lot about Greco coffee, when i tried it it was a real disappointment as it was very strong and burnt coffee that you cant drink it as espresso, not bad for latte, cappuccino or filter coffee. (not balanced) the opposite side of illy. (both for me are not balanced the difference is that illy has better quality than Greco definitely) still Lavazza for me is the only one that can satisfy different tastes.
I also want to clarify that not agreeing with you doesn’t mean you are wrong, as every one has his own preferred blend and taste especially talking about coffee. and i also like the review very informative 🙂
For one thing we agree that Segafredo is not a good coffee and they are out of business in Egypt.
Didn’t know that Lavazza have that many options, could be that i tired only one or two of their coffees… I try to avoid coffee in places that has Lavazza logo but i will give it a second try.
It happened to me twice through the past 6 years that i ordered coffee from Greco and it was burnt! They changed it immediately for me. It’s either you are extremely unlucky or you ordered a small size coffee where they put double shots (they put double shots on all their coffee, that’s why i order grand latte or cappuccino and never order tall one because it’s too strong)
I’m glad to see more coffee enthusiasts in Egypt 🙂
For me Lavazza is the most premium coffee that I tried many flavours and got completely satisfied, verdict 10/10
thanks for your recommended.
I’m a coffee enthusiasts also but still in entrance level.
the above you recommended i did tried Lavazza (espresso) only. i feel it nice for me.
like your comment. Actually i had tried Lavazza (espresso) only, the rest never.
But, for me Lavazza is very nice. Of course, for sure i will try the others 5 as recommonded by Mohsalah.
thanks
regards,
Marcus
السؤال المهم بالنسبة لى .. ايه افضل ماكينة اسبرسو ممكن اشتريها من مصر؟
Nespresso capsules is one of best espresso cafe …
It has a very special taste like no other brand …
But you should own a Nespresso machines … Its not cheap as it starting from 1900 LE & pack of 10 caspusles cost 52 LE ..
For Capuccino lover best Nespresso machine called UMILK … as it froth milk like pro …
Thx for yr good review.
how about Starbucks’ espresso roast?
Haven’t tried that really, but i assume it should be a good choice.
where can I find illy or davidoff?
I bought both of them from Saudi Market. Amir, i think you can also find in other hypermarkets.
Illy can be found in On The Run as well but make sure you buy ground coffee and not the capsules as they work with a special machine.
The best coffee maker machine is delonge from beans to cup automatic with grinder . Little bit expensive but you get the best aromatic flavor . The price is about 6000EP.
ammmm I tried Starbucks coffee medium roast .. so great taste .. price too 🙂
I recommend for best coffee machines .. the unique illy X7 specially for latte & cappuccino.
Hmmm how about fresh coffee beans from local rosters?! I find it ridiculous i cant find any fresh beans in cairo suitable for espresso from local roasters.
Try this:
http://www.shaheencoffee.com/
Davidoff Espresso is the best 🙂
i need to know where i can buy coffee beans and also a manual grinder?
I love Shaheen Espresso Aroma, it tastes great. And it is only for 42 pounds (250 gm). And the best thing is that it is freshly grinded while you buy it.
I am also looking for Davidoff, where can I find it, and how much 250 gm cost nowadays? Illy has become exceedingly high!